


Prompt #5

by theredheadinadress



Series: Tumblr Oneshots [5]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Adlock, Autism, F/M, Gen, Parent!lock, Parentlock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-11
Updated: 2014-05-11
Packaged: 2018-01-24 08:37:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1598522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theredheadinadress/pseuds/theredheadinadress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Where Sherlock and Irene find out Nero is autistic and Irene blames herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Prompt #5

**Author's Note:**

> Response to prompt: Adlock/Parent!Lock where Sherlock and Irene find out Nero is autistic.

Her face remained impassive and emotionless and the only sign that the woman was still alive was the fact that she blinked three times in short succession upon hearing the news. 

 _"Nero is Autistic."_  The words kept swirling through her mind in the Doctor’s far too alert and preppy voice. 

The blonde Doctor with the annoying voice looked on at the couple, both pale, with dark hair, blue eyes and high cheekbones who remained emotionless and quiet upon hearing the news. In all of her years as a Doctor, she had watched all kinds of reactions to the news that she had just delivered Ms Adler and Mr Holmes about their three year old son. Some parents lashed out, yelled, were angry, others cried and others still remained tight lipped and instantly asked questions about the nature of the problem. Ms Adler and Mr Holmes’ response was completely normal, although the silence that now lay thick over the room was a tad disconcerting.

When it was evident that Ms Adler was not going to verbally respond and Mr Holmes had yet to say a thing at all in the 10 minutes of conversation that had preceded the revelation, Doctor Middleton smiled and expanded on her earlier statement.

"It’s not your fault."

"Evidently." Irene muttered sarcastically under her breath.  

She stole a glance to the left to see Nero happily playing with a box of toys in the corner. Oblivious to the news that had now been revealed about him and his development. 

"Autism is not a curse and it is different with every child. Every child has a unique position on the spectrum…"

Irene zoned out slightly, despite the fact she knew it was desperately important to pay attention to what the annoying Doctor was talking about, it was just, Irene could not comprehend the information being relayed to her. Nero had had developmental delays and communication problems, but she had thought that they were nothing serious but mere stubbornness, she hadn’t thought it was anything serious. She felt like a failure of a mother. She was not a natural mother, for the first two years of his life Nero had been living with her under false identities in New York, Chicago and Paris. Ever since returning to London, Nero spent most of his time with a Nanny in her Belgravia residence and although Irene did try to make time for him it evidently hadn’t been enough. To her, this was her punishment for her lack of involvement and her failure to provide appropriately for her son. 

___

Irene remained emotionless and hardly spoke unless it was to answer the Doctor’s questions on Nero’s recent developments. She didn’t speak, merely nodding her goodbye to the Doctor when the appointment was finished and a piece of paper with the next date on it was thrust into her hand. She carried Nero out of the Hospital, despite the fact he was capable of walking himself and held him extra tight on her lap in the taxi ride back to Baker Street. The original plan had been to drop off Nero at her house in Belgravia but that seemed an abhorrent idea given the recent news. Instead, the whole trio arrived at Baker Street and Irene texted Grace, Nero’s Nanny, that she could take the rest of the day and night off.

It wasn’t verbalised, but Sherlock knew Irene enough to know that she wasn’t okay. Personally, Sherlock saw no problem in the revelation that his son was Autistic. For years, Sherlock had seen many Doctors himself who had argued over whether or not he himself was Autistic. There was no stigma for Sherlock, merely an understanding that his son was different. Autism did not mean his son was not brilliant or could not be brilliant, he knew for a fact that several scientists and musicians had been Autistic and yet that had not deterred them from their profession. However, Sherlock was not necessarily good with words, in voicing his emotions, much preferring actions and so was unable to convey his own thoughts to the woman. He watched, as Irene sat in his armchair, curled up and paler than before, she spent the rest of the afternoon with a book open on her lap but not once did she go to turn the page. Instead she sat there, watching the small boy go about his play, like a Hawk. 

It wasn’t until bed that Irene opened her mouth to say something to Sherlock. Nero had thankfully gotten off to sleep in John’s old bedroom, his part time nursery, quite easily. Even despite the change in routine, but the small boy secretly relished in the sudden attention both his parents were giving him, as very rarely did he ever see them both together and here they were, playing with him, eating with him and saying good night to him as a couple. Having bid their son goodnight, Irene called out that she was going to sleep herself, however hours later when Sherlock himself decided that enough was enough, he found her lying on her side with her back to the door, still wide awake. He didn’t acknowledge her, merely got changed out of his own clothes and slipped between the covers. 

"It’s not your fault." He whispered. 

Irene didn’t respond right away, instead the silence was broken by a sniff, as she tried to fight the losing battle of tears that she’d held in all day. Suddenly, as tears began to stream her face, Irene turned and buried herself in Sherlock’s chest. Very rarely did Irene cry and even rarer still did she do so in front of the Consulting Detective. The duo had an unconventional relationship that was still very much undefined, that consisted of irregular meetings that usually resulted in sex not any emotional dealings. Despite this, Sherlock impulsively wrapped an arm around the woman and gently stroked her back in a way he had watched Grace to do Nero to calm him down. 

"It’s going to be alright." 

Although to Irene, at that moment it really didn’t think it could. She felt like an inadequate parent that had failed her child and in some ways those feelings never left her. She always felt that it was her fault that Nero was Autistic, although in later years as their son grew up, it appeared not to be that much of a hinderance at all. He excelled academically in maths, science and music, rivalling his father at his violin skills by 15. Sherlock was right, it did turn out alright.


End file.
